00:00 The hosts discuss their interest in hot air balloons and their plans to potentially go on a ride if given the opportunity.

04:35 Hot air balloons were first invented in the 18th century by the Montgolfier brothers, who tested the concept by flying a sheep, a duck, and a chicken in a basket attached to a hot air balloon.

09:03 Hot air balloons were initially thought to be lifted by smoke, but they were actually fueled by straw and manure; the first human to pilot a balloon was Marquis Francois Delordin, and the first human to die piloting a balloon was Pilatre de Rosier, who later attempted to fly a hydrogen balloon inside a hot air balloon and died when it exploded.

13:41 Hot air balloons were abandoned in favor of dirigibles in the early 1900s, but experienced a revival in the 1950s when the U.S. military started using them to transport animals, and a man named Ed Yoast came up with the idea of the light bulb shape for hot air balloons.

18:20 Hot air balloons work because hot air is lighter than cool air, causing it to rise, and by heating enough air, each cubic centimeter can lift its own weight, allowing the balloon to carry a lot of weight. The envelope of the balloon is made up of nylon triangles called gores, and it is fueled by compressed liquid propane, which is burned efficiently by burners connected to propane canisters in the basket.

23:07 Hot air balloons have an upper altitude limit because the air becomes thin and the balloon can no longer lift any further due to the principle of buoyancy.

27:37 Hot air balloons float because the hot air inside is lighter and less dense than the surrounding air, causing it to displace an equal amount of weight and create lift.

32:45 Hot air balloons can fly in different directions by controlling their altitude to take advantage of wind patterns at different altitudes.

37:23 Hot air balloon pilots need to constantly be aware of potential emergency landing sites and use helium balloons to determine the wind direction before taking off, and once they land, they have a tradition of toasting with champagne.

41:41 Hot air ballooning is relatively safe, with an average of 16 deaths over 10 years, but there have been some high profile accidents, such as the one in Egypt where 19 of 21 people on board died when the balloon caught fire.

46:31 Hot air ballooning is relatively safe, with an average of 16 deaths over 10 years, but there have been some high profile accidents, such as the one in Egypt where 19 of 21 people on board died when the balloon caught fire.